BRANDED

By Love

Two ranchers checking on their livestock. Being able to see his personal brand is what lets a rancher know that an animal belongs to him.

The history of branding can be traced all the way back to the Egyptians, as well as the Romans. Egyptian paintings show oxen branded with various hieroglyphics, while the Romans often used specific symbols to brand their livestock. According to the Agricultural History Project, branding made it's way to America through Mexican cattle ranchers who often branded their cattle with their family's "coat of arms". As the industry of cattle ranching moved into places like Texas, Americans saw the benefits of "branding" as the best way to mark and identify what belonged to them.  Branding was especially important when it came to cattle because of the nature of the animal. Cattle thrive best when they are allowed to roam free-range. And like horses, they are a very social animal, and they continually intermingle with one another.  

When a rancher is riding across an open field and he sees a herd of cows, he can know instantly whether or not those cows belong to him. How can he know? Does he have to stop and ask each one, "Hey cow, I was just curious, do you belong to me?" Of course not! All he has to do is look for his brand on the cow. If the cow displays his brand, then that cow belongs to him. That settles it. On the other hand, if the cow does not have his brand, there is no mistaking the fact that the cow does not belong to him. This brings me to a somewhat perplexing, but nevertheless, important point. Have you ever had to ask yourself whether a person was a Christian or not? Maybe it was a person you just met, or perhaps, even someone you've known for a while. I strongly believe that any man or woman who claims to know God should wear His brand on their life in such a way that it leaves no doubt as to whom they belong. And what is that brand? It is the only brand our heavenly Father uses to designate His own. It is the brand of love.

LOVE

IS THE BRAND (the mark)

ON YOUR LIFE THAT SETS YOU APART

"You can be sure of this; The Lord sets apart the Godly for Himself."

Psalm 4: 3) 

A picture of a varied assortment of branding irons for livestock. 

Branding is a valuable tool when it comes to advertising. Not sure about that? Just ask the soft-drink king, Coca-Cola. Their ability to brand themselves and their product, as well as stay consistently faithful to that brand for decades, has made them one of the most recognizable and wealthy business conglomerates on the face of the earth. Consider this, chances are good that your grandparents can easily recognize the brand of Coca-Cola. They would never mistake a bottle of coke for some fruity drink, or some other knock-off. In the same way, chances are your 3 year-old grandchild can recognize the same product today, too. How is that possible? They've learned to recognize and identify the brand.

I don't mean to sound trite, but perhaps we as Christians could learn a lesson or two here about the real power of brands. For one, a good brand has the ability to stay current while at the same time never changing it's identity. Secondly, a good brand is consistent and "consistently recognizable" by every generation. Why is this important? It's important because a brand is not meant to be a trendy work of body art like a tattoo that a person picks out perhaps to display their personality, and which can be altered over time if they so desire. No, a brand goes much deeper. A brand is not an ink mark upon your life that expresses your individuality. A brand sears and burns deep into the flesh leaving one permanently marked for life. If Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, then you have been branded. You have been bought and purchased with a price, and you are no longer your own. You, my friend, belong to God now. And the world will know because you wear His brand - the everlasting brand of love. 

LOVE

 It's All About That Brand

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God."

(1 John 4: 7)

 Horses know how we feel about them without us saying a word. My horse, Samson, is all about the love factor.

Have you ever heard the old expression "talk is cheap"? In many regards, it's true. Our walk should always preceed our talk, and not the other way around. Why? Until our talk is actually walked out, - what we're saying is still just a concept!

Consider this truth...

People may not always believe what you say, but they will always believe what you do.

There's no denying the power of our words, but our words become meaningless if they aren't backed up by our actions. Think about this oft-heard statement; "Yeah, I know what he said, but I'll believe it when I see it." Maybe you've said that about someone before. Or worse yet, maybe someone's said that about you!  Behind that statement is distrust - distrust for a person who's talk is probably much louder than their walk.

You and I have a unique and profound responsibility to share God's love. It's not our personal love to "hold or withhold" as we see fit, or to dole out to the level at which we deem other's deserve. It is our Father's love that has been shed lavishly abroad in our hearts, and it is meant to be lavishly shared with others, - so much so, that we leave no doubt as to who we are, and to whom we belong. You and I belong to God. And because we do, we will forever be branded by His love.

Natural Horse

Faith-Man-Ship

(Teaching biblical faith using horses)

 

 

ARE YOU READY FOR THE FAITH RIDE OF

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*Susan Klaudt Horse Ministry and Natural Horse Faith-Man-Ship are protected by exclusive copyright, and are outreaches of Kim and Susan Klaudt World Ministries, Inc., a 501 (C) (3) not for profit ministry.
 

 

 

COMING THIS SPRING... 

We're excited about this coming spring when we plan to post some new YouTube equine ministry teaching videos, and also some fresh, new horse videos just for fun. These new videos will replace some of our older videos that are now online which will be deleted. Be sure and watch for our new stuff this year, and think spring!